Airflow guide

ABSTRACT

An airflow guide includes a main duct and a sub-duct. The main duct includes opposite first and second sidewalls, and a top surface connected between the first and second sidewalls. An opening is defined in the first sidewall. The sub-duct includes a rotating portion rotatably connected to the first sidewall. The rotating portion includes a side sheet capable of covering the opening, and a top sheet extending from the side piece into the main duct.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an airflow guide.

2. Description of Related Art

In a thermal design for a desktop computer, only primary heat generating elements of a motherboard, such as a central processing unit (CPU), require dedicated cooling for dissipating heat. For example, a fan, a heat sink, and/or an airflow guide is/are commonly provided for a CPU for dissipating heat.

In fact, processing ability of computers has rapidly advanced, heat generated from other elements of the motherboard, such as a Southbridge and hard disks, has increased. Therefore, dedicated cooling for these elements may be required. As an example, a motherboard can support double date rate (DDR) memories, such as DDR2 and DDR3. If only DDR2 memory is present, no dedicated cooling is required, since heat generated therefrom is minimal If DDR3 memory is employed, dedicated cooling may be required, due to increased heat generated from the DDR3. However, such dedicated cooling solely for DDR3 memory is uneconomical, and not easily provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 to 3 are isometric views of an embodiment of an airflow guide in different states.

FIG. 4 is an inverted view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows the airflow guide in FIG. 3 in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, an embodiment of an airflow guide 10 includes a main duct 20, and a sub-duct 30.

The main duct 20 includes a top surface 23, a first sidewall 21, and a second sidewall 22. The first sidewall 21 and the second sidewall 22 depend from opposite sides of the top surface 23, respectively. The top surface 23, the first sidewall 21, and the second sidewall 22 cooperatively bound a channel for airflow. An air intake 28 of the channel is formed at a first end of the main duct 20. An air outlet 29 of the channel is formed at a second end of the main duct 20, opposite to the first end of the main duct 20. A rectangular opening 40 is defined in the first sidewall 21. Two opposite raised bars 50 extend horizontally from an outer surface of the first sidewall 21, and are located between the opening 40 and the air intake 28. A sliding groove 500 is defined in each raised bar 50.

The sub-duct 30 includes a sliding portion 60, and a rotating portion 70. The sliding portion 60 includes a rectangular main body 61. The main body 61 is mounted between the raised bars 50 of the first sidewall 21 of the main duct 20. Two sliding tongues 62 extend from a top side and a bottom side of the main body 61 at a first end of the main body 61 adjacent to the air intake 28, respectively, and are received in the corresponding sliding grooves 500 of the raised bars 50. Therefore, the main body 61 is slidable between the first and second ends of the main duct 20 relative to the first sidewall 21, via action of the sliding tongues 62 in the corresponding sliding grooves 500. The rotating portion 70 includes a side sheet 71, and a top sheet 72. The side sheet 71 has a shape corresponding to and precisely covering the opening 40 of the main duct 20. A first end of the side sheet 71 is rotatably mounted to a second end of the main body 61 opposite to the first end of the main body 61, wherein the side sheet 71 rotates parallel to the movement axis of the main body 61, so that the rotating portion 70 opens and closes relative to the first sidewall 21 of the main duct 20. When the rotating portion 70 is closed (as shown FIGS. 1 and 4), the side sheet 71 covers the opening 40 of the first sidewall 21. The top sheet 72 is generally quadrant-shaped with a center located at the rotation axis of the side sheet 71, and extends from a top side of the side sheet 71 into the main duct 20.

Referring to FIG. 5, in use, the airflow guide 10 may be mounted to a motherboard 80, wherein the top surface 23 of the main duct 20 is opposite to the motherboard 80, and the air outlet 29 of the main duct 20 faces a heat sink 81 of a central processing unit (CPU) (not shown). A fan 90 is mounted to the air intake 28 of the main duct 20. When the fan 90 operates, airflow is guided by the main duct 20 over the heat sink 81 for dissipating heat generated from the CPU. When other elements, taking memories 82 as an example, require dissipation of heat, the rotating portion 70 of the sub-duct 30 rotates out of the opening 40 to open (as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5). Accordingly, airflow is guided by the sub-duct 30 over the memories 82, dissipating heat therefrom. Furthermore, an opening angle of the rotating portion 70 can be adjusted according to the number of memories 82. The sliding portion 60 of the sub-duct 30 can adjust a distance between the rotating portion 70 and the memories 82.

Accordingly, the airflow guide 10 can dissipate heat from the CPU via the main duct 20, as well as from other elements via the sub-duct 30 as needed. The airflow guide 10 is practical and versatile, and has low cost.

In other embodiments, action of the sliding portion 60 of the sub-duct 30 can alternatively be accomplished as follows. The sliding grooves 500 and the sliding tongues 62 may be interchanged, such as the sliding grooves 500 may be defined in the main body 61 of the sliding portion 60, and the sliding tongues 62 may extend from the raised bars 50 of the main duct 20 into the corresponding sliding grooves 500. In another example, the raised bars 50 together with the sliding grooves 500 may be omitted entirely and a slot directly defined in the first sidewall 21, with a sliding piece extending from the main body 61 of the sliding portion 60 and received in the slot.

In other embodiments, the sliding portion 60 may be immovably mounted to the first sidewall 21 of the main duct 20, or the sliding portion 60 and the raised bar 50 may be omitted and the rotating portion 70 may be rotatably mounted to the first sidewall 21 directly.

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the disclosure have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the disclose to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. 

1. An airflow guide comprising: a main duct comprising opposite first and second sidewalls, and a top surface connected between the first and second sidewalls, wherein an opening is defined in the first sidewall; and a sub-duct comprising a rotating portion rotatably connected to the first sidewall, wherein the rotating portion comprises a side sheet capable of covering the opening, and a top sheet extending from the side sheet into the main duct.
 2. The airflow guide of claim 1, wherein a rotation axis of the side sheet is parallel to the first sidewall.
 3. The airflow guide of claim 2, wherein the side sheet has a shape corresponding to the shape of the opening.
 4. The airflow guide of claim 3, wherein the top sheet is generally quadrant-shaped with a center located at the rotation axis of the side sheet.
 5. The airflow guide of claim 4, wherein the opening is rectangular, and the top sheet extends perpendicular to a top side of the side sheet.
 6. The airflow guide of claim 1, wherein the sub-duct further comprises a sliding portion slidably mounted on the first sidewall, and the rotating portion is rotatably mounted to the sliding portion.
 7. The airflow guide of claim 6, wherein two opposite raised bars extend horizontally from an outer surface of the first sidewall, a sliding groove is defined in each raised bar, the sliding portion comprises a main body mounted between the raised bars, two sliding tongues extend from a top side and a bottom side of the main body respectively and are received in the corresponding sliding grooves.
 8. The airflow guide of claim 6, wherein the main duct guides air along a first direction substantially parallel to the top surface, the first sidewall and the second sidewall, wherein a rotation axis of the rotating portion is perpendicular to the first direction and extends along a height of the first sidewall, and sliding direction of the sliding portion is parallel to the first direction. 